Mercosur

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: A ?penguin' for president

  President Néstor Kirchner ? who revels in his avian nickname yesterday announced for the first time that the candidate of the “national concertation” he has called for will be a male or female “penguin,” but stopped short of saying whether he will seek re-election.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean students reject gov't reform proposal

  Militant Chilean high-school students have rejected a government proposal aimed at ending weeks of demonstrations and said they still planned to launch an escalated nationwide protest on Monday.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela adds troops to Colombian border

  Venezuela is beefing up its troop strength along the Colombian border, negotiating with Russia to set up arms factories, and preparing for a possible invasion, the army commander said Friday.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina supports Venezuela to Security Council

  Argentina supports Venezuela as non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council representing Latinamerica and the Caribbean confirmed Argentina's Foreign Affaire minister Jorge Taiana in Caracas.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombian interest in Ecuador's Oxy concession

  Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has expressed interest in taking over the Amazon concession in Ecuador which belonged to US Occidental Petroleum.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean students announce Monday national strike

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said Saturday she was open to talks with protesting high-school students even when the government's latest, and apparently definitive, proposal was rejected by demonstration leaders.

• Saturday, June 3rd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula promises Brazil will become an OEPC member

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised an “energy revolution” that will make Brazil a member of OPEC and a leading exporter of bio-fuel.

• Friday, June 2nd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Eleven bidders show interest

  Eleven companies have shown interest in acquiring the routes, planes and offices of Brazil's embattled Varig airline, the carrier said yesterday.

• Friday, June 2nd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Argentina to reopen Tran's Andean train

  Bids will be taken in late July for a 270 km railroad concession for a cargo train service connecting Los Andes, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina. Seventy kilometers of the train track are in Chilean territory.

• Friday, June 2nd 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: Gay but ?hetero-friendly'

  The first five-star gay hotel in Latin America will open in Buenos Aires next year, two Spanish businessmen said yesterday as they launched the project.